What is the most profitable type of bet?

Unexcitingly, but unequivocally, the most profitable type of bet for the punter or, conversely, the least profitable type of bet for the bookmaker, as far as horse racing is concerned is a single win bet, on just one horse in a race. A single win bet is the simplest, most straightforward bet of all. Unlike backing two or more horses in the same race, a.k.a. ‘Dutching’, or multiple betting, in the form of doubles, trebles and accumulators, a single win bet involves no wastage of stakes or winners going astray. A single win bet also affords control, at least, to the extent that control is possible, over the ebb and flow of the betting bank, which is an important consideration for anyone who takes betting on horses seriously. By contrast, an each-way, or ‘win and place’, bet requires double the outlay of a single win bet, with no guarantee of success. In addition, the place portion, while offering a theoretical ‘safety net’, is poor value because at standard place terms the place backer is trading under the true mathematical odds more often than not. Furthermore, each-way betting can lead to wishy-washy selections, rather than those based on clear-cut, hard evidence.